Instrument light



April 16 1929- R. w. GRIFFITH Er AL 1,709,213

INSTRUMENT LIGHT Filed Aug. 15, 1924 INV NToRS @M Q- l x q' 'Up Q, y

A TTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED STATES ricain PATENT OFFICE.

RAYMOND W. GRIFFITH AND SABIUEL N. HOPE. OF IWIILWAUKEE, VJISCONSIN,ASSIGIT- ORS T GRIFFITH-HOPE GMPANY, OF 0F WISCQNSIN.

Original application filed October 6, 1922, Serial No.

MILWAUKEE, IVISCON SIN, A CORPORATION INSTRUMENT LIGHT.

592,991. Bivded and this application. filed August 13,

1924.. Serial No. 731,822.

This invention relates to instrumentlights for automobiles and the likeand has tor its obj ect to provide a simple structure that will V becompact and neat in its appearance; that Will be inexpensive tomanufacture; that `Will be readily adapted to take the usual nish of theinstruments on the instrument board, black body with nickeled base; thatmay be quickly and easily assembled for use l0 with either a singleWiring system or a double Wiring system; that will have its attachingmeans hidden from view; that Will be capable of throwing a light fromone side door to the other; that Will be provided with a shutter toentirely conceal the 'lamp or opened to any desired extent to modily thelight;that Will permit oi' ready access to the lamp and easy attachmentand removal of the lamp, and that will be strong and durable andeiiicient.

This case constitutes a division of our application for instrumentlight, ,Serial Number 592,891, tiled October 6,1922, and issued asPatent 1,557,045, on October13, '51925. j

lVith the above and other objects in vievv the invention consists in theinstrument light as herein claimed and all equivalents. Referring to theaccompanying drawings f in Which like characters of reference indicatethe same partsin dierent views,l

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an instrument lamp constructed inaccordanceivith this invention; fy Fig. 2 is a iront vieiv thereof;

Fig. 3 is a bottom vienT thereof; Fig. e is a similar view showing themodiicationv for converting it for use With a double Wire system;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view;

and

Fig. 7 is a view of the base with the hood and lamp removed.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged perspective view of a fragment of the socketlooking upwardly t the edge thereofshown in Fig. 6.

In these drawings, 10 indicates a base of pressed sheet met-al of ovalshape, which is deeper at its upper edge, so that its face isapproximately-vertical When fitting against an inclined instrumentboard, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The face of the base is embossedor pressed up to form a smaller Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view,

oval shaped projection 11, upon which is tightly but removably fitted anoval shaped hood 12 or" sheet metal with a rounded front end. Asector-shaped opening 13 termed in the lower part of the front end ofthe hood and is controlled by a shutter or shield 14 pivotally mountedin the hood and adapted when closed to complete the roun led formationof the hood. The curved shutter or shield 14, `which is convex laterallyWell as longitudinally, may be pivotally mounted in the hood byprojections 15.0n its ends fitting in openings in the hood, suchprojections being either in the form of rivet lugs, as shown, or in theferm oi lugs bent out from the ends or the hood. An outwardly projectinglug 1G at its edge serves as a handle by means of Whichit may be movedto the desired adjustment and, when it is completely closed, such handletits Within a recess 17 in the edge of the hood opening.

A plate of insulating material 18 lits Within the recess in the bottomof the base, where it is held by rivets 19. Insulating Washers 2O itbetween the heads of the rivets 19 and the sheet metal base and theopenings in the base are sulliciently larger than the stems. of therivets to avoid Contact therewith so that the rivets are insulated .fromthe base. Either or bot-h of those Vrivets may be used forattachingcontaet springs 21 to the insulating plate according to Whetherthe instrument light is to be o used on a .single Wire circuit or adouble Wire circuit. Each contact'spring consists orn a U-shaped sheetmetal spring member lattached at an intermediate point to the in- Vsulatingjsheet by the rivet 19, as mentioned,

vv`th one end projecting toward the center of the base for engagementwith a lamp terminal and the other end bent to form a nut pocket 22containing an ordinary nut 23, through which is threaded a screw 24 toconstitute a binding post. The screw 24Y passes through an opening inthe nut pocket of the contact spring, threads through the nut and thenpasses through a close-fitting opening in the insulating plate to anchorthe contact spring in place, and then through a considerably largeropening 25 in the base to avoid electrical contact therewith. VOpenings26 through the insulating plate Vand the base permit attaching screws orbolts 27 to bev located within the hood where they will not be seen andtheir location is such that they dovnot comev in contact withtliecontact springs, such springs being curved around them and Vspacedtherefrom.

Centered somewhat below the center of .the base is an opening 28 throughthe base and the insulating plate to constitute` a socket toreceive thebase 29 of an electric lamp 3() and notches 3l in the edge of thisopening through the base accommodate the Adiametrically oppositeattaching lugs 32 of the lamp base as the lamp base is inserted in orremoved from the socket 28, and embossed lpockets 33 pressed in thesheet metal base 'in vertical alignment ieceive said attaching lugs whenthe lamp is turned throughV an arc otinovcment to its inal position.rElie travel of the attaching lugs 32 from the notches 3l to the pockets325 is permitted by arc shaped recesses 3ft in the edge ot the openingof the insulating plate and the lamp is held firmly in place with theattaching` lugs 32-titting in the pockets 33 by the pressure of thecontact spring or springs 2l bearing against its terminal or terminals3e.

lf desired, the metal whichis cut to torni the notches 3l, may be leftbent down from one edge of said notches to form stops to preventtheturning of the lamp in the f wrong direction when itis being attachedthough Vthe glass bulb has become broken,

thus having a great advantage Vover structures of the tubular sockettype. Y p

, The lamp being positioned below the .cen-

' ter of the hood,pserves to throw the light through the partly or fullyopenedorilice to the full width ot the instrument board vor from onedoor of theV automobile Vto the other and, by closing the shutter moreor less, the light may be modified to suit the requirements. rflic shapeof the hood and of 4the shutter enables them to serve reflectors forstrengthening the illumination. lt no light is desired at times when thelamp is burning, as when the instrument light is in series with thetail-light, the shutter or shield mayV bey completely closed.

l' ,It will be seen that the instrument light ot this invention isinexpensively constructed of sheet metal stainpin'gs'and a fiberpunching with ordinary rivets7 nuts and V`screvvs,jand is readilyassembled without rev quiring skilled labor and still it is stronglyconstructed and amply protected against short circuits or wear thatwould cause it to get out ot order. Y

It will be further noted that7 as the hood is separablerom the base, thelatter may lie readily nickel-plated,\vhile the former is given a` dullblack finish to harmonize with the instrument-s on the instrument panel.

The avoidance of' the use ot a tubular socket to receive the lamp baseeffects an Aimportant economy in construction without sacrificing thestrength or etiiciency ot the device. Furthermore it permits oithestructure being more con densed with a corresponding improvement in theappearance.

In practice the change from the manu- Vfacture ci' the base for thesingle wire circuit, shown in Fig. 3, to the base for the double wirecircuit, shown in Fig. 4, is et'- ecte'd by merely clipping the ends ofthe Contact springs and the added spring is from the same die as theother, the nut pocket and the bend of the spring being reversed.

that we claim'as new and'desire to secure by Letters Patent is: l; Inaninstrument light lamp socket, a sheetmetal base having atlatsurtaca'an insulating plate secured beneath the tlat surtace of thebase, therebeing an opening through the flat surfacefot the base and theVinsulating pla-te to receive a lamp base, a

springcontact mounted on the insulating plate'behind said opening to beengaged by a terminal of the lamp base when the lamp base is pressedthrough the opening, there being notches in the edge of said opening toaccommodate the attaching lugs of the lamp base7 and pockets formed inthe sheet metal base at the edge of the opening to receive the attachinglugs of Vthe lamp base, the insulating'plate being cut away along theedge ot' the opening from the notches to the pockets to accommodate theattaching lugs in their movement between the notches and the pockets'. Y

2. vA lamp socket comprising a sheetmetal base having an approximatelyflat surface with an opening:therethrough to fit a lamp base, a` contactspring behind the opening to be engaged by a lamp terminal when the lampbaseV is forced through the opening, there being notches in the edge oithe opening to accommodate Vthe attaching lugs vof the lamp base,pockets at one side of the notches in which the attaching lugs are retained by the` pressure of the contact spring, and stops bent up tromthe sheet metal on the other side ofthe notches to limit the movement ofthe attaching lugs.

3.' In an instrument'light lamp socket, a sheet metal base. havinganapproxiniately flat surtacewith anjopening to receive a ylamp baseWith'notcli'es to accommodate the retaining lugs thereof, anVapproximatelyl tlat isc U-shaped Contact spring attached to the back ofthe flat base at its intermediate portion but insulated therefrom andbent to form a nut pocket at one end and with the other end extendingbehind the opening to be engaged by a lamp terminal when a lamp base isforced through the opening'7 a nut supported within the nut pocket, anda screw threaded through the nut to form a binding post. v

4. In an instrument light lamp socket, a sheet metal base having anapproximately fiat surface, an insulating plate secured to the back ofthe flat surface, there being an opening through the flat surface of thesheet met-al baseand the insulating plate to recei've a lamp base withnotches in the edge of the opening to accommodate the attaching lugs ofthe lamp base, a U-shaped contact spring riveted at its intermediatepoint to the insulating plate and the base' and insulated from the base,one end of said contact spring being bent to form a nut pocket and theother end extending behind the opening to be engaged by a lamp terminalwhen a lamp base is forced through the opening, a

nut contained in the nut pocket, a screw passing through registeringopenings in the contact spring, the insulating plate and the sheet metalbase and threaded through the nut, said screw fitting the openings inthe contact spring and in the insulating plate to anchor the contactspring in place but being loose within the opening of the base to avoidcontact therewith.

5. A lamp socket for instrument lights comprising abase having anopening to receive the lamp base, an opening on one side thereof toreceive an attaching screw, and a U-shaped approximately flat contactspring secured to the back of the base and insulated therefrom andcentered around the vattaching screw opening but spaced therefrom toavoid contact with the attaching screw and having its end projectingbehind the first mentioned opening to engage a lamp terminal when a lampis passed through said opening.

In testimony whereof we aiiiX our signatures.

RAYMOND lV. GRIFFTH. SAMUEL N. HOPE.

